Georgetown Bagelry Boss Pens Book On Life, Bagel Business

Mary Beall Adler didn’t want to write a traditional business book or give motivational tips.

Instead, she ended up with a memoir of sorts, interspersed with enough stories from her popular Georgetown Bagelry (5227 River Rd.) to explain why the longtime D.C.-area business has become her life.

Adler owns the bagelry, which opened in 1981 in Georgetown. She took over the floundering bakery and eventually moved it to River Road.

The book, “Who Scooped My Bagel? One Woman’s Story of Love, Loss and Success,” looks into Adler’s personal life, which often was tied to the success of the small business.

“Especially when we were in the bagel shop back in Georgetown, people always said, ‘You really gotta write a book about this,’” Adler said. “It was just this great community down there and up in Bethesda now that’s become very much an experience. When I started writing this book, I wanted to capture that.”

Adler referred to one recent example, when the line of customers in the store was getting long. She let customers know they could pre-order bagels online to avoid the wait. Someone told her waiting in the line was part of the reason they came.

“Because they see neighbors, they talk, they catch up,” Adler said. “Yes, we’re only a small business, but to me, part of our bottom line is kindness.”

She’ll host a book signing at the restaurant from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20. For more information, visit the event website.